Picture frame



May 21, 1929. H. E. SCHARLING PICTURE FRAME Filed Oct. 18, 1927 feet Z INVENTOR BY ATTORN Patented May 21, 1929.

UNITED STATES PA E TOF CE HENRY E. SCHAB-LING, 0F IQ'U'IJILIEY, NEW JERSEY. I

PICTURE FRAME.

Application filed October 18, 1927; Serial No. 226,886.

This inventionrelates, generally, to im can be made of sheet metal, which frame is sturdy and strong and of light weight and which can repeatedly be taken apart and re-' assembled to take out or change thepicture or othersheet mounted therein without im pairing the structure or the fit of its parts; and a further object of the invention is to provide an easel and hingestructure in such a frame which also are simple, compact and durable.

Other objects of the invention whichreside I in several detail features of the structure are not at this time more particularly enumerated butwill be clearlyunderstood from the following detailed description of the same. With the various objects of the invention in view, the same consists, primarily, in the novel arrangements and combinations of parts male ing up the easel frame structure hereinafter set forth; and,the invention also consists in the details of construction of said parts all of which will be hereinafter more fully described and finally embodied in the claims appended hereto. v 7

The invention is clearly illustrated in the drawings, in which s Figur'el is aside elevation view in midsection of an easel picture frame made according to and embodying the principles of this invention; Figure 1 is a sectional view in part showing an alternate construction of certain details of the structure of Figure 1; Figure 2 is a front elevation view, in part cut away, of the structure ofiFigure 1; Figures 3 and 4 are sectional views taken respectively along the line 33 and line of Figure 2 and looking in the direction ofthe arrows;

Figure 5 1s a SIdG-GlGVatIOII-VIGW HI 111161-560 tion of an alternate embodiment of the invention; F1gure'6 1s a rear elevation view of a backing member for the structures of Fig- Similar characters of reference are an ployed all of the hereinabove described vviews, to indicate corresponding'parts;

' Referring now to said drawing's,the refer- V ence character 1 indicates a rectangular frame of wood, metal orother material, the sides of fwhich frame areof narrow'lateral dimension" andare comparatively wide from front to o back, About the sides ofsaid'frame'l is folded a'decorative covering 20f cloth such as velvet, or of metal or other suitable material. When the frame 1 itself is of metal the surface thereof can be finished for decorative effects, In the preferred form of the invention, however, a cloth, like velvet, isyused because it gives the decoration and also because it acts as a binding cushion onother parts fitted thereto and hereinafter fiully described. 'Attac'hed to the'front of said frame l-is the fiat face frame 3 which extends in both directions from the edges of said frame 1, A sheet of glass 4 fits within said frame 1 and'against the back of said frame 3 and back of this is a sheet of paper or cardboard 5 having a picture or other. de-

vice which it is desired to expose'for view in 'theframe." 7 j1 j i For holding said g1ass4 and said picture 5 against "the flange of said frame 3 there is provided a backing comprising a plate 6 of sheet metal which ,has upturned edges 7 formed entirely around it. 'A' filling and stiffening member 8 of light cardboard fits into the pan formed by said plate 6 and its upturned edges and a covering'9 of "fabric such as velvet is provided over the outside of plate 6 and over the vedges 7 thereof, the velvet being turned over onto saidfiller board 8 and held securely in place by fthe sheet. of paper'li) pasted over the edges thereof and extending over the intervening spaces within the edges of the turned over fabric. I The size of said plate 6 and the thickness of the velvet pieces 2 and 9 and 'the size of the enclosure of said frame 1 are selected so that the sides of v the plate 6 with the velvet'covering thereon make a frictional fitjwith the fabric on the inside faces of'said frame 1'. This arrange-' a ,mentgives a fit that is permanent to hold the back'in place in the frame and afit that will not loosen up through repeated removal and replacementf 'It also'has the, advantage that there are no closing buttons or latches to come I loose or be broken. The metal of plate 6 and 7 said filler 8 combine to make a light and rigid back that will not bend or warp and will maintain a good fit with said frame 1.

In the easel structure for supporting the frame on a table a leg 11 of sheet metal has formed at its upper end a hinge loop 12 through which extends a wire 13 which at the ends of said loop 12 bends and extends at right angles to the planeof said leg 11 and thence through holes 14, 14 formed in said ribbon or cord 15 extends at one end throu h extends through a slot 17 formed in said plate 6 opposite the slot 16 in said leg 11, and this end is turned over againstthe inner surface of said plate 6 where it is glued in place. The hinge wire 13 and the ribbon-15 are of course assembled to said plate 6 before the filling 8 is put in place. A stiffening member 18 of light wood or cardboard is mounted to the outside of leg'l l, preferably by means of a covering of cloth 19 which matches said covering 2 and which'is held in place by glueing to the leg 11 and stiffener 18. The end of said ribbon 15 of course can be made to extend throughboth the leg 11 and thestiffener 18 to the outer surface of which latter it is affixed as by glueing.

Referring particularly to Figure I an alternate embodiment of the invention does not have the faceframe 3 but does have fixed thereto in place of said frame 3 the angular frame 20, preferably of metal, Which ts about the outer lateral edges of said-frame 1 and has the angular flange 21 extending in wardly and serving as a stop for said glass 4 and the picture 5 and the backing behind it.

In Figure 5 is shown the back plate '6 fitted with its flanges 7 in frictional contact within the inner edge of said frame 20, as another embodiment of the invention in which all the parts of the frame, back, and easel can be of metal and in which is provided aspace within the fitted frame and back for the mounting of a glass front and a picture or other display, or in which a mirror can be mounted.

I am aware that some changes, other than those already indicated, may be made in the various arrangements and combinations of the several devices and parts, without departing from thescope of this invention as above described, and as defined-1n the ap-q back member therefor of metal, and an easel structure comprising a strip of metal turned over to form a loop,-a Wire extending through said loop and having its ends extending through respective openings in said back and lying fiat against the face thereof.

2. In a frame structure, in combination, a backing member of sheet metal, an easel leg of sheet 'metal having a transverse loop formed thereon adjacent a face of said backing, and a wire extending through said loop with its ends extending through openings in said backing and extending along the opposite face thereof.

3. In a frame structure, in combination, a backing member of sheet metal, an easel leg of sheet metal having a transverse loop formed thereon adjacent a face of said backing, a wire extending through said loop with its ends extending through openings in said backing and extending along the opposite face thereof, said leg having an opening intermediate its ends and said backing having an opening approximately opposite thereto, and a flexible ribbon or fabric extending between said backing and leg with its ends through respective ones of said opposite openings where they turn against the structure surface and are affixed.

4. In a frame structure for pictures and the like, a frame having inner surfaces at right angles to the plane of the frame and having a flangeeXte-nding inwardly from wood board or the like on said sheet and eX- tending between said edges, a covering of fabric over said metal sheet on its outer face and edges; an easel leg comprising a piece of sheet metal pivoted to said sheet metal backing and a stiffener of card or wood board on last said sheet metal. piece, a covering of fabric over said easel leg; and a frame having an inner opening into which said backing member makes a frictional fit.

In testimony, that I claim the invention set forth above I have hereunto set my hand this 23rd day of August, 1927.

HENRY E. SCHARLING. 

